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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012.0508.TCWSM.Minutesz:\council packets\2012\r6-7-12\120508m.docx Page 1 of 11
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
MINUTES OF THE WORK STUDY SESSION OF THE
FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL
MAY 8, 2012
AGENDA ITEM #1 – CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
Mayor Schlum called the meeting to order at 5:32 p.m. in the Town Hall Council Chambers.
Present for roll call were the following members of the Fountain Hills Town Council: Vice Mayor
Dickey, Councilmember Contino, Councilmember Elkie, Councilmember Leger and Councilmember
Brown. Town Manager Ken Buchanan, Town Attorney Andrew McGuire, Deputy Town
Manager/Finance Director Julie Ghetti and Town Clerk Bev Bender were also present.
Vice Mayor Dickey announced that Mayor Schlum has been detained in Phoenix and will not be able to
join the meeting.
Councilmember Hansen arrived at the meeting at 5:36 p.m.
AGENDA ITEM #2 – DISCUSSION RELATING TO THE PRELIMINARY TOWN OF
FOUNTAIN HILLS OPERATING AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (CIP) BUDGETS
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING JULY 1, 2012, INCLUDING ALL PROPOSED
REVENUES, EXPENDITURES AND NEW PROJECTS FOR ALL GOVERNMENTAL FUNDS.
Town Manager Ken Buchanan addressed the Council relative to this agenda item and said that the
proposed budget was introduced to the Council back in February. He s tated that they have subsequently
discussed the proposed operating budgets and this evening they are going to talk about the proposed
Capital projects. He added that based on the consensus from the Council and proposed capital, staff
began a planning process for the projects and an update to the budget document prior to the final. He
stated that they are here this evening to go through a number of the projects that are being proposed for
the 2012-13 budget and Ms. Ghetti will provide a summary followed by the various Department heads
who will discuss each of the projects that they are responsible for. He further stated that if the Council
has any questions on the operating side those can be brought up and discussed this evening as well.
Deputy Town Manager/Finance Director Julie Ghetti addressed the Council and highlighted a brief
presentation relative to this agenda item (a complete copy is available on line and in the office of the
Town Clerk). Ms. Ghetti indicated her intention to go through each of the capital projects that are either
in progress right now and will be continued to next year or starting next year. She said that if they
brought their budget books with them, staff will discuss each of the projects the way they are contained in
the budget books. She noted that the budget books have a lot more detail relative to each of the projects.
Ms. Ghetti referred to a summary chart displayed in the Council Chambers as part of the presentation and
explained that it is a summary of the total capital projects budgeted for next year, broken down into
categories according to how they are going to be paid for. She reported that the total for all of the projects
for next year is $11.7 million not all of which will be paid for out of Town funds -- only $4.4 million is
going to be paid for out of the Capital Projects Fund. She added that $1.2 million will be paid for out of
the Excise Tax Fund, the General Fund has a contribution of $41,000 and non-Town funds, which could
be grants or developer agreements has a contribution of approximately $6 million. She referred to a chart
that showed specifically the projects that are included in the Capital Projects Fund, showed the revenues
for each fiscal year for the next five years, what the expenditure are programmed to be and what the
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ending balance is. She pointed out that by the end of 2016-17, if everything gets approved and moves
forward, there will be about $2 million left in the Capital Projects Fund. Ms. Ghetti indicated her
willingness to respond to any questions from the Council.
Vice Mayor Dickey thanked Ms. Ghetti for including the chart in the presentation and stated that one of
the things they have tried to stick with is about a $2 to $2.5 million expenditure and looking that far ahead
they can see that even though this year looks heavier, they might be able to ju stify them looking down the
road.
Ms. Ghetti concurred and stated that they still have almost $10 million so they have never spent the $2
million. She added that next year they are projecting to make up for some of that.
Councilmember Leger asked whether the projections shown on the chart are based on the 50-50 split they
currently have now with Capital Funds -- 50% goes into Capital and 50% goes into the General Fund. He
said he knows that in the past that formula was different and they discussed possibly moving back to an
80-20 split. He questioned whether that would have any impact on the numbers.
Ms. Ghetti replied that this is as it is right now -- the 50-50 formula.
Councilmember Leger commented that it is possible that this number could go higher with the 80-20 split
and Ms. Ghetti concurred.
Director of Development Services Paul Mood addressed the Council relative to Miscellaneous Drainage
Improvements and explained that this project is really just a placeholder. He noted that when they have
contractors or developers doing work in Town they are always looking for a place to put their dirt in order
to avoid the hauling costs. He said that they had a lot of areas that were identified for future road
widenings and the contractors could put the fill in those areas and compact it. He added that they are
running out of those areas and in a lot of areas, if they just extend some culverts or raise up some
manholes, then the contractors can fill in more dirt. He stated that they wanted to make a small
investment in extending culverts here and there so that when the developers do come forward they can
take the excess fill from their projects and in the long term this will save money. He reported that staff
had budgeted $75,000 for this project and they use it on an as needed basis. He said that this current
fiscal year staff is only anticipating using about $10,000 and they will roll the $65,000 over into the FY
2013 budget year and he assumes that the next year they will be rolling it again.
Mr. Mood also discussed the Downtown Vision Master Plan - Phase I and explained that this is actually a
greening of the downtown plan that is being shown as $100,000 next year. He said that this would just be
a pass through if the Greening Committee is able to secure a grant. He noted that this is not Town funds
but if they did get the grant and the work is done they have to have it in the budget in order to spend that
money.
Lori Gary addressed the Council relative to the Downtown Vision Master Plan - Phase II and stated that
this particular item in the CIP is also a placeholder and pointed out that the Council adopted the
Downtown Vision Plan as well as the Downtown Area Specific Plan. She said that in order to encourage
development in alignment with those plans they have placed $250,000 a year into the budget over a four -
year period of time to act as an incentive to develop the Downtown area. She noted that this would occur
in conjunction with a development agreement and anything associated with th is would need to come
before the Council.
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Mr. Mood readdressed the Council relative to Avenue of the Fountains Median Improvements and
pointed out that Council recently approved the $20 million contract for a Master Plan and that is currently
underway. He advised that the electrical systems have been inventoried and an arborist has come out and
assessed all the trees. He added that next week they will be doing the irrigation systems so the process is
moving forward. He reported that the total budget for the design and construction of the project is $1.8
million and $1 million represents the Excise Tax and $800,000 is the CIP. He said that once the Master
Plan has been completed they will be holding some public meetings and it would come before Council
prior to moving forward with the full design.
Councilmember Elkie asked Mr. Mood if he has some idea of when the Council might be able to see
some designs or at least begin taking public input and Mr. Mood replied that right now staff is in the
process of developing a questionnaire to distribute to the public soliciting information relative to what
they would like to see happen out there and that should begin within the next few weeks. He added that
hopefully by June or July they will see some drawings and conduct some public meetings.
Councilmember Elkie spoke in support of investing $1.8 into the Downtown area.
Vice Mayor Dickey stated that it appears it is pretty much an "open book" as far as what is going to be
done and what they are going to ask be done and added that they are looking at it in a utilitarian type of
way but they also spoke about some of the future ideas that they have for the Avenue that might be more
tourism or attraction related. She asked if there will be ample opportunity during the design phase to talk
about some of the things that aren't totally utilitarian.
Mr. Mood responded yes -- it is during the Master Plan phase that they get that type of input before they
go into the hard design.
The Vice Mayor commented on the fact that they have received e-mails from some people containing
some good ideas about the Avenue.
Fire Chief Scott LaGreca addressed the Council relative to Fire Station 2 Relocation and informed the
Council that this too is a placeholder. He said that the project is currently unfunded but by serving as a
placeholder it will provide the Fire Department time to continue their research studies on response times
and seek out grant funding for this project.
Vice Mayor Dickey discussed the Town Sprinkler Ordinance (1996) and said that this is part of what is
used to talk about response times and how there may be some variations in response times due to the fact
that they have the Sprinkler Ordinance. She stated that she doesn't believe that they are able to do th at
anymore and asked if that is true -- a law was passed and they cannot require sprinklers in new homes.
Town Attorney Andrew McGuire explained that the new law affects going forward and doesn't impact
any prior existing subdivisions so Fountain Hills, Scottsdale and other municipalities were able to get in
under the deadline so they can continue on.
The Vice Mayor said if they were looking at further development in some of those areas where they are
talking about response times -- future homes -- they would not be able to require them to have sprinklers
and Mr. McGuire advised that they are covered as well. He noted that the Town is prohibited from
adopting a Code provision requiring fire sprinklers unless that provision was adopted prior to the cutoff
date.
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Vice Mayor Dickey questioned whether any research has been conducted to determine what the current
site of the fire station would be worth and can they use that to offset some of the costs associated with the
new station.
Chief LaGreca informed the Council that that they did conduct a very minor study and had an appraisal
done on the building approximately six years ago so it would be inadequate now. He added that it really
kind of threw the appraisers because they don't get to do fire station appraisals very often and at that time
they really didn't know what to compare it to. He advised that t he only thing they could compare it to
back then was a group home nursing facility for ten or less people and they came up with a $700,000
value for the property. He reiterated that that is ancient history and the use of that property really doesn't
fall under his purview; that would be a Town Manager and ultimately a Town Council recommendation as
far as how the property should be used. He agreed that it does have value and that should be included in
the equation.
Vice Mayor Dickey said that perhaps at some point they could find out what zoning is in place and what
the ramifications are for the future use of that property even if the building itself is not usable.
Councilmember Elkie stated that it is his understanding that some research has been conducted and there
is a chance that they might be able to come in under the $2.1 number. He asked if this was still being
investigated.
Chief LaGreca advised that very preliminary research is being conducted for him to see in his mind
alternatives they could seek out in the future as far as building a building there. He said that instead of
building a brick and mortar building they looked at Phoenix, Surprise, Chandler and Gilbert to see what
they have done on a short-term basis (15 years) since they put a pre-fabricated building on the sites. He
stated that immediately everyone envisions a metal shed and on the inside it is but on the outside they
could make it look like pretty much anything -- a nice stand-alone building. He reported that Agate
Construction builds these types of buildings and they had a brief conversation with them. He added that
they provided them with a brief courtesy bid in the amount of $800,000 and that covered everything from
A to Z. He said that there are options out there if it is the desire of the Town Manager and the Council to
seek out alternatives in the future. He reiterated that they are at a very preliminary stage right now but
they do have options and the Fire Department is open to those and will take their direction from the Town
Council.
Vice Mayor Dickey thanked Chief LaGreca for his presentation.
Director of Community Services Mark Mayer addressed the Council and discussed the Centennial Circle
proposal. He informed the Council that the total cost of this project is made up of two components: the
first is the finish that the Town had requested to the electrical system (lines have not been completed and
pulled into the Circle itself and also to the center of the Circle) and this is a $20,000 expense and the other
component is a request that came from the Centennial Circle Committee for $28,000 to finish the last of
the landscaping with shrubs, bushes and some low-level lighting.
There being no questions from the Council, Vice Mayor Dickey thanked Mr. Mayer for his comments.
Chief LaGreca readdressed the Council relative to Fire Station 1 Renovation and said that this consists of
the addition of a new bunk room on the back end of the station. He noted that primarily they want to do
this for two reasons. First, they have five guys living in a 20x20 room and they do have female
firefighters that come through and live with them and they have two ambulance personnel who live in the
existing trailer at the back end, which is a 45-year old structure and it is time for it to be replaced. He
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advised that staff is looking to demolish the trailer, do improvements in the back parking lot for parking,
build the bunk room and complete the work out front that the Town Engineer has been wanting to do --
revamp the driveway coming into the front of the station because one of the driveways lines up with
Avenue of the Fountains and a lot of people think that that is a continuation of the Avenue and drive into
their driveway and also put in sidewalks and handicapped accessible ramps to allow access to the front
end of the Fire Station. He noted that as it stands right now this will be funded by the CIP.
Vice Mayor Dickey asked if the parking lot behind the station is going to be accessible to the public and
the Chief replied "yes and no." He explained that they have signs erected that state "Do Not Enter" and
people still go down there and if people need to come to the Fire Station it is accessible.
Vice Mayor Ghetti thanked Chief LaGreca for his presentation.
Ms. Ghetti addressed the Council relative to Voice & Data Communications Upgrade and explained that
this is a continuation of the contract that the Council approved last Thursday evening for the Town's new
phone system. She stated that the additional $25,000 will purchase phones for the Town's remote
locations -- the Fire Stations, street yard, etc. She noted that this year they are buying the system and all
the hardware and this is just for the purchase of the phones.
Mr. Mood readdressed the Council relative to the Energy E fficiency Program and reported that they have
already conducted the energy audit and have installed the Energy Management System software so now
they can program the heating and cooling of rooms as need by week or by day (it shows graphically if
there are alarms going off so they know right away if there is a problem). He added that at the last
meeting the Council approved the HVAC systems for the electrical and IT rooms so now they will be able
to cool those by themselves because they need to be much cooler than the office space and they are tied
into the office space. He said that they are on track to spend about $132,000 of the $146,000 grant that
they received so that is pretty good. He stated that next year they show $71,000 but they are looking
more in the range between $30,000 and $35,000 in rebates so staff is going to look at doing some lighting
upgrades and other things next year. He noted that this is a 100% grant.
Councilmember Elkie asked if there were any obligations as far as the Town is concerned going forward
after this money is spent (usually there are some strings attached and he is curious as to whether there are
any in this case).
Mr. Mood responded none that he is just aware of the fact that the rebates would be used for additional
energy-saving items.
Vice Mayor Dickey stated that perhaps this is something they could work on if they meet and hold their
Retreat in the fall or whenever. She added that it might be good to get some kind of a report on the
process that Mr. Rees has been going through in addition to some of the other things that the Town has
been doing over the years compared to some of the other municipalities in the Valley. She said that they
could perhaps compete for some recognition in certain areas based on the efforts that have been and are
being expended.
Chief LaGreca readdressed the Council relative to the Portable Live Fire Training Unit and noted that this
is a FEMA grant 90-10 with a 10% Town match. He advised that the Department will be applying for
this grant in June. He pointed out that this grant is a little different than others in that this is a regional
grant and the Town will be doing this in conjunction with Rio Verde and Fort McDowell. He noted that
the $16,000 in the General Fund (if successful) will be split by the Town and Rio Verde and Fort
McDowell's contribution is that they will house the burn unit in their community. He further stated that if
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this is approved they will probably have to do an IGA to make sure that everything is done right and the
parameters are in place.
Chief LaGreca also discussed the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and reported that this is unfunded
and is to convert the room on the other side of the wall into their EOC. He explained that currently the
Councilmembers are sitting in their EOC right now -- all of the equipment, phones, the Council's
computers are all set to be "flipped" over to the EOC in case they have to stand it up. He advised that
some day they would like to be in their own secured room in there but this will not be done until grant
funding has been secured (so this is another placeholder while the Department seeks out grants).
Chief LaGreca addressed the Council on Assistance to Fire Fighters Grant - Radios and reported that this
is another grant that the Department is going to go out after in June and this is to upgrade their portable
radios into the 700-800 megahertz range. He noted that this is also a 90 -10 match and the radios would
cost approximately $120,000 and $12,000 would come out of the CIP because this is a capital type item
that would have to be replaced on a ten-year cycle. The Chief indicated his willingness to respond to any
questions from the Council.
Councilmember Leger asked where the portable live fire unit would be placed an d Chief LaGreca advised
that there are two locations according to the Chief out at Fort McDowell -- one would be down in the
gravel pit on the other side of the river and the other in the gravel pit on the south side of Shea -- away
from any homes in Fountain Hills and the Indian community as well. He stated that it would not be a
permanent location and explained that the trailer would be set up in one of those locations but the good
thing about a trailer is that if another community that the Town is partn ers with like Salt River or
Scottsdale chose to use it they could rent a tractor and relocate it to their location. He added that they
would keep it semi-permanent and it could be mobile.
Mark Mayer addressed the Council relative to the Four Peaks Park Improvements and pointed out that
this item has been brought to the Council's attention before. He added that there have been some changes
to this particular site that he wanted to review with the Council and stated that they are specifically talking
about the east side of the park, the northeast corner that is behind the Four Peaks School, which, in the
past, utilized the site but they are not doing so now as they have in the past. He further discussed the
actual site location (bus barn and athletic fields) and noted that the athletic fields used to get a great deal
of game usage, particularly the soccer field, but now are used significantly less because of the
development of Desert Vista. He noted that the park was used more as a community park rather th an a
neighborhood park.
Mr. Mayer advised that staff is recommending that a proposal be put together that would cost $50,000 and
said that staff would get together with the neighbors, some of the groups that still utilize the park for
sports and the Boys & Girls Club and together plan what the future of that park will be, especially on the
east side. He added that much has changed and noted that when the Master Plan was put together in 2001
it included the Skate Park, which has now been relocated to Desert Vista. He said that they also have an
issue with the fencing and the appearance of the park on the east side that is continuing to decline. He
noted that there is an area that does not meet PM-10 standards because it is gravel and gets dusty when
cars pull in there so they would like to resolve that issue as well. He stated that they really cannot do that
for any length of time until they know how that park is ultimately going to be used. He reiterated that
staff is seeking the funds to conduct a Master Plan and involve the groups that he mentioned. He added
that this would also make them eligible to potentially apply for grants.
There being no questions for Mr. Mayer he moved on to the next item -- Fountain Lake Water Quality
Improvements. He reported that originally staff had budgeted $50,000 to help them fund the study that
was conducted by the consultant (their consultant and the one chosen by the Sanitary District). He
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advised that to date they have generated a draft report that was received in early November and said that
they have not yet received the final version of that document but his understanding is that it is
forthcoming. He noted that the cost for that was split between the Town and the Sanitary District. He
reported that in discussions that staff has had with the Sanitary District the focus has really been on
circulating the water and the current system that they have between the Fountain and the aerator does not
sufficiently mix the water either horizontally or vertically. He added that the information that staff has
received to date suggests that the cost could be as much as $1 million. He said that staff has not had the
ability to go any further than this and actually get any detailed design and so that is where the project
stands as of this time.
Councilmember Leger asked if at this point in time the $250,000 is just a placeholder and Mr. Mayer
replied yes. Councilmember Leger questioned what recommendations are being made and Mr. Mayer
responded that at this point there really aren't any recommendations -- the discussion, however, has
focused on the need for a design for a lake of their size and depth. He noted that the discussion had been
that they need a method to circulate that water, perhaps by an internal piping system and pumps located
throughout that system that would circulate the water both horizontally and vertically.
Councilmember Leger asked if the final report would contain those recommendations and Mr. Mayer
replied that he doesn't believe the report coming from the consultant will include that and he thinks it
would take an additional step to accomplish that because it is outside of the scope of the work that the
consultant was hired to do.
In response to a question from Councilmember Leger relative to how t hat would be accomplished, Mr.
Mayer advised that some additional discussions would have to take place with the Sanitary District
relative to moving ahead and actually selecting someone. He added that this would have to come back
before the Council.
Councilmember Leger said that at this point in time they have a placeholder in the amount of $250,000
but they have no idea what that would be used for and Mr. Mayer explained that ultimately it would be
used for some method that would re-circulate the water in the lake but they don't have a specific design or
product in place at this time. Councilmember Leger requested some examples and Mr. Mayer stated that
they just have theoretical ones at this time -- some type of a pipe system that would connect and circulate
the water but they would have to be located up off the bottom because of the sediment in the lake and
added that they would distribute the water both horizontally and vertically. He said that just initial
discussions have taken place.
In response to a question from Vice Mayor Dickey, Mr. Mayer reported that the report cost $22,000 and
the Town paid for half of that. He noted that they would simply be carrying that money forward.
Mr. Mayer discussed the Urban Trail Improvements and advised that this too is something that staff has
been working on for a period of time. He said included in the funds for this year is money to come up
with a design and bring it before the Council again. He pointed out that a number of months ago staff
brought the preliminary design forward with the logo, the kiosks and the branding of the particular
product. He stated that they are scheduled to come back before the Parks & Recreation Commission on
May 14th and back for final approval from the Council on May 17th. He reported that implementation of
the plan has been budgeted for $50,000 the first year to get them off the ground and the proposal that the
Council will see on the 17th will include the overall plan for various loops within the community --what
the kiosks and branding of the product will actually look like and a schematic of the kiosk that will be at
each of the trailhead sites. He added that as he mentioned a couple of months ago, staff has tried to utilize
as much as possible the existing infrastructure (parking areas, restrooms, drinking fountains, etc.) so that
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they didn't have to build new so most of the trailheads are going to be located at park sites because of the
availability. He said that over the next four years after they do the implementation phase they have put
aside $20,000 to implement additional phases of the project which would include trailhead locations with
kiosks for informational purposes and also signage along the routes.
Mr. Mood readdressed the Council relative to Unpaved Alley P aving Projects and noted that in 2007 the
Council adopted Resolution 2007-4, which was related to the MAG 5% Plan for PM-10, basically ways to
reduce particulate matter or dust in the air. He said that part of that is that the Town agreed to pave their
unpaved alleys, specifically in the Colony and Panorama area. He reported that previously they
completed two alleys and this current year of the program was suspended because of the funding. He
advised that over the next three years staff wants to finish off the last three alleys in that area.
Vice Mayor Dickey asked if there was a deadline to accomplish this work and Mr. Mood replied that they
(MAG) just said "as funding was available."
Mr. Mood continued with the Shea Boulevard Widening and informed the Council that they are currently
at the 75% design stage on this project and pointed out that earlier this year Council approved a revised
development agreement with Firebrick Plaza and basically the Town took in $200,000 and said they
would finish off their requirements from their old development agreement. He noted that they are
finishing up legal exhibits for the acquisition of easements at the intersection of Shea and Saguaro so they
will be talking to those property owners again in the near future t o start the acquisition process. He
advised that they are going to improve the intersection, widen Shea from the Beeline to Technology (three
lanes in both directions) and they have received a grant from MCDOT (Maricopa County Department of
Transportation) to finish off from the Beeline to the Town border (do an overlay). He reported that they
had $200,000 from the developer and Proposition 400 money so basically that is a 70-30 match and the
Town will pay for 30%. He noted that every year MAG has pushed back the reimbursement so if this
project is constructed next year, MAG's 2013 ALCP shows that they will reimburse the Town up to $1.6
million in FY 2014, $1 million in FY 2015 and $200,000 in FY 2016. He added that the Town will have
to pay the up-front monies and then wait for the reimbursements. He said that those are the maximum
reimbursements and if they get good bids there is a chance the cost will come in a lot lower but they will
still do the 70-30 split.
Vice Mayor Dickey referred to the intersection and said that she knows they have something coming up
about the lights. She stated that this would not include doing anything to the traffic lights.
Mr. Mood advised that they would be upgrading the traffic signals in this project and he believes there are
three that that would be upgraded. The Vice Mayor asked if they would be using rubberized asphalt and
Mr. Mood replied yes. He noted that rubberized really is effective after you get over 45 miles per hour so
on Shea this will be a great help.
The Vice Mayor discussed the intersection of Shea and Saguaro when people are traveling from the
Beeline and going west and asked if it is going to be possible to have a right turn arrow at Saguaro. Mr.
Mood responded that off the top of his head he can't answer that but he would definitely look into it.
Mr. Mood highlighted the Pavement Management Program, $100,000 every year over the next five years
of the CIP to help supplement the Street Department, and advised that they found out that the HURF
budget was cut by about $100,000 so they had that contingency line item since they anticipated this
reduction (this will wipe out the contingency). He reported that staff did ask a contractor who has done
some work for the Town to look at Palisades and said that if you drive Palisades from Lost Trails to Shea
you might not notice it if you are traveling very fast but there are actually cracks across the road that are
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about two to three inches wide and deep. He stated that the quote staff received just for that work was
$80,000 so the money gets used up pretty quick. He added that staff is not saying they are going to do
that but they wanted to get an estimate.
Mr. Mood moved on with the Pavement Management Program and explained that this item is actually for
Saguaro and is not in the CIP yet -- staff is proposing it. He said that if the Town wants to go out for a
bond to do some specific roads such as Saguaro in November of 2013, staff would highly recommend that
they put some money in next year's budget to start the design. He noted that there are some extensive
drainage improvements on Palisades by the Desert Canyon Golf Course and they won't do a round -about
but they will have to do some minor improvements on the Avenue of the Fountains. He added that staff is
looking at extending the medians to make that intersection a little shorter so that it is better for
pedestrians. He added that there might be some ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) work that they
have to do as part of the legal requirements when they do a road.
Mr. Mood informed the Council that since that is a truck route they will have to decide whether they want
to increase the pavement strength (thickness) and redo the sub-grade so that it will handle a truck route for
the long term. He stated that in speaking with the Sanitary District they are looking at a project to run a
new reclaimed water line from their treatment plant to their advanced water treatment facility on Kiwanis
so they could potentially be putting a pipeline in Saguaro in early 2014. He added that if they have the
bond in late 2013 and it gets approved staff wants to have a design ready so they can bid it out and be
right behind them and as they are putting in the pipe they can resurface the road behind them (so they a re
not ripping it up early 2014 and then the Town is ripping it up late 2014). Mr. Mood further stated that
staff needs to talk with other utilities, the water company and when the State Trust Land develops they are
going to have to put a sewer down Saguaro from Fountain Hills Boulevard to the treatment plant so they
really don't know that timing and they might want to look at stopping the project near the Ashbrook wash
because they don't want to put in a new road and have it torn up a year or two later. He stated that staff is
recommending that the Council approve putting some money in the budget so they can start the design.
He noted that they did have a little bit of money left over this year and they are going out and doing some
asphalt core samples (look at the asphalt and the sub-grade and have a geo-technical engineer make some
recommendations for Saguaro, Palisades and Fountain Hills Boulevard).
Mr. Mood also discussed the Shea Boulevard Multi Use Path and said that they have a grant and staff is
proposing to do the sidewalk up by Eagle Mountain Golf Course and then connect to the City of
Scottsdale's multi use path (a joint project between the Town and Scottsdale). He stated that last year the
Council tabled the IGA because there is a significant match($135,000) and added that after July 1st staff
is going to talk to Scottsdale again and see if they still want to move forward with the project so this
might come back before the Council. He said that Scottsdale was not sure whether they would have the
funding available next year and they might have to put it off to another project.
Mr. Mood addressed the Fountain Hills Boulevard Shoulder Paving and informed the Council that this is
currently going on right now. He stated that they have the designer and they have been out there doing
some geo-technical work, surveying, and this is a Federal grant project that will probably take another two
to three years to get the job done (they have to get an environmental study and obtain environmental
clearances) and said it has started but it is a long Federal process. He noted that that will pave the dirt
shoulders on the sides of Fountain Hills Boulevard. He added that it will not add another travel lane but it
will be easier for bicyclists.
Mr. Mood discussed Shea Boulevard Eastbound Bike Lane and Overlay and explained that in the late
1990s the Town was awarded a grant for a bike lane (on the south side of Shea between Palisades and
Fountain Hills Boulevard). He noted that it was a much larger project and for one reason or another the
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projects became piecemeal -- they did the Shea climbing lane and the Shea gap but the bike lane on this
side of Shea never got built. He advised that the grant money is still sitting there but since it was back in
the late 1990s early 2000s, the grant application did not include a mill and overlay. He said that staff is
working with MAG and ADOT to see if they will let the Town use the funding to include a mill and
overlay. He stated that this is an uphill battle but staff is trying and that would basically finish off that
roadway surface -- it won't add the other lane but again they will have a nice rubberized asphalt surface.
Mr. Mood addressed the Intelligent Transportation System and noted that this is a fairly large grant with a
pretty significant Town match (a $900,000 grant with a $500,000 Town match) and this is to integrate the
traffic signals so they can communicate and be timed better. He advised that the focus is going to be on
Shea Boulevard because that is really the central corridor. He stated that the lights in the downtown area
would be really difficult to time properly because they are in different directions. He said that one
thought is to do an IGA with Scottsdale where the signals on Shea can be tied back into their monitoring
system because they have the cameras that will monitor and if there is an accident they can change the
timing and have longer arrows to re-route traffic. He reported that they will be starting this project in
Fiscal Year 2013 and pointed out that only $53,000 has been budgeted and that is just to get a consultant
started on the work. He added that they will look and this to determine what is best for the Town's needs.
Mr. Mood highlighted the Traffic Signal - Palisades/Saguaro Upgrades and informed the Council that this
is an original MCDOT traffic signal. He stated that they had a pole that was very rusty so they took one
from the Shea climbing lane (the mast arms were the right length) and replaced the worst pole out there.
He noted that at some point that traffic signal is going to have to be rebuilt and this is really just a
placeholder -- staff is going to keep moving it every year so if it does get to the point where it needs to be
rebuilt the funds will be available to go out and do the work. Mr. Mood indicated his willingness to
respond to any questions relative to the various projects that he outlined.
Vice Mayor Dickey thanked Mr. Mood for his presentation.
The Vice Mayor asked what the next step will be and Mr. Buchanan stated that if the Council does not
have any further questions regarding capital, they also have an opportunity to pose questions regarding
previous meetings on the operating budget. He pointed that staff is present and willing to respond to any
questions that the Council may have.
Councilmember Leger stated that it was his understanding that at the last meeting there were some
questions or concerns regarding the disposition of the community contracts. He said that he believes that
item has been agendized for the next Council meeting and requested confirmation of this.
Mr. Buchanan confirmed that the item will appear on the May 17th agenda.
Councilmember Leger commented that there will be an opportunity at that time to further discuss that
item and ask questions.
Vice Mayor Dickey advised that input is welcome on all of these items and there are other meetings
coming up. She added that staff and the Council are available to answer any questions and encouraged
anyone who would like additional information to contact them.
AGENDA ITEM #2 – ADJOURNMENT.
Councilmember Leger MOVED to adjourn the meeting and Councilmember Brown SECONDED the
motion, which CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY (7-0). The Work Study Session adjourned at 6:22 p.m.
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TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
By __________________________
Linda M. Kavanagh, Mayor
ATTEST AND
PREPARED BY:
__________________________
Bevelyn J. Bender, Town Clerk
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Work Study
Session held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills in the Town Hall Council Chambers on the 8th day
of May, 2012. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present.
DATED this 7th day of June, 2012.
_____________________________
Bevelyn J. Bender, Town Clerk